The present invention is directed to a reusuable time card carrier for use in connection with employee time recorders. In particular, the invention is directed to a reusuable time card carrier having means for releasably retaining an imprintable time card, and also having alterable information storage means for storing employee identification, time and attendance data.
Heretofore, time card carriers were not capable of storing alterable information such as employee identification and time and attendance data. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,759 discloses a time card carrier bearing an employee identification number in the form of punched holes. The punched holes and, therefore, employee identification cannot be altered. Moreover, the card carrier is not capable of storing any other information such as summary time and attendance data.
Employee time cards having means for alterably storing summary time and attendance data are known. Pat. No. 4,017,857 discloses a time card having both a magnetic strip and an imprintable portion. Summary time data is stored on the magnetic strip and is also printed onto the imprintable portion when the time card is inserted into an appropriate time recorder. Eventually, the imprintable portion is filled, say at the end of an accounting or payroll period. The magnetic strip may or may not be filled, but it cannot be used any further since the filled card must be replaced by a new time card bearing a blank imprintable portion.
It is therefore desirable to provide a employee time card carrier which is capable of storing employee identification, time and attendance data for one or more time cards.
It is also desirable that the time card carrier be usable for one or more payroll or accounting periods.
It is further desirable that such a time card carrier be capable of releasably retaining each imprintable time card so that a printed record of the employee's attendance history can be placed on each time card and separately stored.
An advantage of the invention is that a current record of summary time data for one or more time cards can be stored on a single storage medium on the time card carrier.
A further advantage of the invention is that the medium is erasable and can be reused from one payroll or accounting period to another.
A further advantage of the invention is that each time card need only be provided with an imprintable portion for storage of a printed record of the employee's attendance history and need not contain other storage medium.
Other advantages appear hereinafter.